


Chain Reaction

by JinxWinx



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Celibacy, Different Relationships, Exploring different themes, Good Intentions, It's Hard and Nobody Understands, Neglected themes, Other, Past Relationship(s), Poor outcomes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-01
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-06-20 06:19:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15527994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinxWinx/pseuds/JinxWinx
Summary: After Sabine runs off during the impromptu vigil held for Kanan and Ezra, Kallus has a front row seat to watch the fallout that results, at the same time he realizes he's made a lot of life choices he regrets, while the Ghost crew is coming apart at their seams Kallus' past comes back to bite him and he finds himself unsuccessfully searching for a friend in the chaos.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to explore the beauty of "odder" relationships and lifestyles here, such as celibacy, which is something that is often scoffed at and mocked in real life, which is pity though, sex isn't everything. So, I give you chain reaction a a fairly short multi chapter story I hope packs a punch.
> 
> Disclaimer:

The pyre was Rex’s suggestion, an ancient Jedi tradition. They’d collected the wood as soon as the sun set, stacked the pieces into two large mounds and bound them together with fuel-soaked rope. Wedge had given them two wooden mats from the storage room, Sabine drenched them in fuel, they’d probably regret that later when the supply started running low again, but they plopped the pyres on them anyway.

When the bloodsucking Bay flies buzzed above the shallow river that sat forty kilometers away from the base, a small crowd of rebels lined the shore, somberly staring at the two pyres floating gently on water’s surface. The Ghost crew stood on the other side, separated from the crowd, Kallus stood between Rex and Zeb, his stomach turning over every other minute, the torches in the ground caused the light to flicker oddly on the water, the shadows spun like spirals, curled like wicked fingernails. The tears shed made him want to cower, not too long ago Kallus could have very well caused those tears, he wouldn’t have batted an eye back then.

Instead of cowering, he took in a shaky breath and drew himself to his full height. Not the time for regrets. There was a moment of silence that Kallus couldn’t appreciate thanks to his heart pounding in his ears. The moment ended when the Bay flies formed a thick cloud over the pyres and obscured the other side of the river, Rex and Zeb pulled two of the lit torches from the mud and Sabine hesitantly followed. Hera stood off to the side wiping her eyes, Kallus quickly joined her, he would much rather be on the other side of the river with the rest of the crowd, the “strangers” not with the “family”, he didn’t know why they’d invited him but he felt like a fish out of water.

Rex and Zeb gently lowered their torches on the pyres, the wooden bundles instantly erupted in a cloud of flames, they rolled the torches into the water quickly putting them out before the flames could eat up the length of the torches. Out of the corner of his eye Kallus noticed Sabine put on her helmet and slam her lit torch back into the mud she took a step back from the bank, then she was running, crashing through the bushes and crunching through twigs, Kallus glanced towards Hera, she hadn’t noticed her eyes were trained on the pyres, neither had Zeb or Rex. Kallus folded his arms behind his back and shifted his gaze back to the pyres, it wasn’t his business how Sabine dealt with her grief and wasn’t his job to chase her, someone else would have to.

The pyres burned for an hour, the moon was high and flies had fled, sniffles still served as a background noise and the air smelled like burnt tar, Kallus glanced towards the remainder of the pyres and figured that was a lot better than the smell of burnt flesh, though the Ghost crew no doubt would have preferred to bury Ezra and Kanan’s bodies.

“Where’s Sabine?” Hera asked looking up from the pyres, her voice was thick and her eyes were puffy. Zeb turned around frowning in confusion, then he noticed the spot beside him, the one once occupied by Sabine was empty and his eyes went wide.

“Sabine!” 

That shook the crowd out of their grief filled stupor, they began to frantically search around themselves each of them calling out the girl’s name. Surely Kallus wasn’t the only one who noticed her leave… Kallus contemplated saying something, telling them which direction she ran, but he realized he didn’t even know that peripheral vision wasn’t reliable she could have zigzagged left or right, circled around the river and ran back to the temple or somewhere else entirely so Kallus held his tongue and followed the crew around the bank searching for Sabine.

The rebellion’s Jedi were dead and everything was coming loose because of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that night when the smoke cleared from the river, the search party disbanded, or so it seemed, Mon Mothma called them back for a briefing, afterwards Hera sat in the middle of the base frantically calling Sabine’s comlink with Rex.   
Zeb let out a heavy sigh and lumbered into the girls' barracks Kallus instinctively followed him, it was guilt, he should have said something when he saw Sabine run.

“Where do you suppose she’s gone to?” Kallus asked casually, the girls' barracks were empty just as they had been the last five times they checked.

“I have no clue,” Zeb grumbled. “But she better come back soon, Hera can’t take the stress.”

Something told Kallus it was more than Hera that Zeb was worried about.

Kallus nodded slowly in response and looked over one of the beds, the sheets were pink and stained with purple, Sabine had slept in that bunk at some point, no one else on the base used anything that would stain fabric such an odd color. There was an odd bump on the comforter, out of habit Kallus smoothed it down, it crinkled under his hand, Kallus ran his hand over it once more before reaching under the sheet and ruining its near pristine appearance, underneath the comforter was a folded piece of parchment Kallus turned it over in his hand and unfolded it, after moment he frowned.

“Zeb,” He said getting the lasat’s attention. “We need to check the docking bay, now.”

“Why?” Zeb asked, there was dread in his voice and Kallus knew the lasat had an idea of why, without a word he handed him the parchment, Zeb didn’t even glance at it before running out the barracks. Kallus chased after him, they passed the center of the base where Hera was sitting when she saw them running her face contorted in worry.

“What’s going on?” She asked.

They didn’t stop running and Hera clambered to her feet and followed them, they reached the launching area just as a small transport lifted into the air and shot into the sky stirring up a gust of wind that knocked them off their feet. Kallus stared up at the sky waiting for it to stop spinning and groaned, teenagers were insane. Though the world was still spinning Zeb helped him to his feet and picked Hera up gingerly, she looked at the two of them frantically.

“Was that Sabine?” Hera asked a quiver in her voice.

“We aren’t sure Hera,” Zeb said shaking his head. “She did leave this note.”

“What does it say?” Hera asked.

Zeb looked at Kallus. Kallus was about to take a step away from him and let Zeb handle the problem himself when he remembered the lasat hadn’t read the note and probably didn’t want to do it in front of Hera, Kallus sighed inwardly.

“She said she’s going to look for Ezra,”

Hera let out a scream that sent Kallus reeling backward, it pulsed against his eardrums and made his heart flip painfully. Zeb didn’t seem fazed he pulled Hera into a hug, the noise must have been worse for him thanks to his sensitive ears but he held her anyway. A small audience had begun to gather around the bay their expressions ranging from concern to irritation there was one shout of “That was my ship!” before someone shushed them. A few minutes later Rex made it to the launching bay, he rubbed his knees and grimaced as he walked over to them, he must have finally noticed Hera’s wailing because his expression dropped and he covered his face.

No one needed to say anything, they all knew what had happened and there was nothing that could be done, Sabine was in hyperspace by now, she was smart enough to disable trackers, and could drop off as far as Coruscant in less than twelve hours, she could be at thousands of other planets in ten minutes. The rebellion couldn’t send out a search party for one AWOL teen, they were fighting a war not running an orphanage, as cruel as it sounded, Kallus knew the rebel command would never send out a patrol for her after all, Sabine wasn’t lost, she’d left and the rebellion believed in freedom of choice… 

Whether the Ghost crew liked it or not.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at like, two am, and I enjoyed every moment of it.


End file.
